Free Kids Books - Literacy for Life, from Red Sky Ventures

Windhoek, Namibia, March 27, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Reading and writing are two of the most fundamental educational tools a child can get, yet something that many of us simply take for granted. Ensuring that literacy gets the emphasis it deserves is one of the primary aims of a new website Free Kids Books (www.freekidsbooks.org), launched in mid 2010 by Red Sky Ventures. The Free Kids Books website provides open access to original books and educational resources for children through a simple easy to use interface. Designed specifically with kids in mind, the bright friendly colours and fun content promote reading by making it accessible and enjoyable.

What's different about Free Kids Books is, the books are provided as a free download in their full retail versions, so they may be used online or offline and can be printed for children to enjoy reading the physical copy in their own time. Danielle, the sites creator and one of its authors, feels this is a very important part of the concept: “So many sites are caught up in the online animations and gimmicks, we forget the children most in need may not have access to these facilities. It's a fact that children learn better with repetition from a variety of media, so to have the same books available on and offline creates significantly improved learning opportunities.”

As the name implies, the resources provided on Free Kids Books are all free of cost, but there is a secondary meaning behind the use of the word: the site creators believe in freedom to create and share. There is no requirement to register, there is no requirement for proprietary software, and there are no restrictions on what you can do with these resources, asides from standard author copyright protection. Free Kids Books simply wants people to share and enjoy these educational resources; and this is particularly important within low-income and developing communities where access to libraries, or internet can be problematic.

For those who prefer a professionally printed hard copy – or those who just like to give a little back – Free Kids Books provides a link to each authors page where you may purchase a retail copy of your favourite book, with all proceeds going directly to the author. You can also sponsor a book, sending books directly to children who need them. Free Kids Books works closely with African communities in need. For those visitors who want to contribute, sponsor a book donations are available to send books directly to these communities, beginning with children from Iyaloo Project in Namibia (www.iyaloo.info).

Aside from promoting reading, Free Kids Books aims to promote writing and creativity and to generate exposure for aspiring children's authors. Free Kids Books provides an opportunity for authors to show case their work, allows them to gain reader reviews for feedback and further promotion, generates traffic for their own sites, provides download statistics and provides a direct link to a purchase page of their choice.

This aspect of the site is a demonstration of the change in accessibility that technology has brought to the publishing industry. Danielle comments “Everyone who has the urge or desire to write should, and that written work should be made available for the public to read and decide, rather than being dictated by publishing houses' speculation on what will earn the most revenue.” The Print on Demand – Self-Publishing industry has long been in support of this theory, making publishing a book in soft or hard copy free to anyone with computer and internet access. As a result a whole host of new original works, which may never have seen light of day in a traditional market, are now available online often at minimum charge or free at sites like www.lulu.com, www.smashwords.com, and www.bibliotastic.com.

Free Kids Books invites new submissions, and will offer free assistance if you're not sure how to format and proof your book to minimum standards, or if you need advice on the Print On Demand process.

Free Kids Books creator Danielle Bruckert, managing director and owner of Red Sky Ventures, is a non-fiction author in the field of aviation, (her chosen occupation is a professional pilot), who began writing children's books for pure enjoyment. She started Free Kids Books after looking for sites where she could find free children's books in PDF form for research, having the obstacle of slow internet speeds, and preferring to read the books when offline, for example on a stop-over for work. Finding only a handful of books available on sites typically dedicated to other purposes, she saw a gap in the market. Since beginning Free Kids Books her children's books are gaining popularity and some have now outsold some of her aviation titles. Any further enquiries about this site can be directed to Danielle via email, - or submit a query through the website www.freekidsbooks.org contact page.

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